The Greatest Teacher
Written by Abbey Nagel
During the Year of the Teacher we have expanded our horizons of what it means to be a teacher. Nature as teacher, architecture as teacher, parents as teacher, silence as teacher. Each read has opened up a place in my soul and illuminated it in a way that would have otherwise not been possible.
While I understand the power and force of Mother Nature, it took the story of Giants in the Earth to let that settle into my bones, and to teach me how this affects the heart and soul of man, woman, marriage, and family. While I value silence and relish reads like The Power of Silence and Reclaiming Quiet, it took The Chosen to show me facets of silence I haven’t thought of as much—the silence of a parent and the silence of love.
In reflecting on the books from this year, I couldn’t help but realize that the thread that ties them together is story as teacher. The power of a story is really unmatched as teacher, which is why humans have been sharing stories since our beginning. As Madeleine L’Engle said, “Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving”.
We all have a story—we are all story in our own way, and wrapped up in a bigger story that is HIS story. It’s who we are, which is why it has a hold over us. As JRR Tolkien noted, it’s a “small wonder that spell means both a story told and a formula of power over living men.”
Jesus, the greatest teacher, could have used a multitude of ways to teach his disciples, and he chose the medium of story. What a gift it was to us Christ our Teacher used story as the foundation of the establishment of the Church. We could meditate on that for quite a while. It’s something He knows would speak to our hearts—a medium that sometimes requires hard work of study to break open deeper truths (think of the Divine Comedy or the Hunchback of Notre Dame) but always requires an openness and receptivity.
He shared with us not only stories, but an example of how to continue teaching others ourselves. He’s our perfect model, our perfect teacher…literally. We can be assured as we spend time reading novels and sharing stories and books with our children, that it’s hours well-spent. In fact, it’s likely one of the most important ways we can possibly spend our own time and time with our families. It’s how our Savior spent His active years on earth—why shouldn’t we?
During this Year of the Teacher I’ve found that approaching a story like an open vessel—ready to be filled with the grace of truth to be poured into my soul through it—the results can be tremendous. But it takes that openness of heart. Much like the disciples had to take a leap of faith and trust their Master, especially when they didn’t understand. Jesus didn’t make it risk-free for his followers. After their initial leap of faith, lives were completely transformed, directions completely changed, and brand new paths forged with a mysterious mixture of suffering and joy.
As we continue our reading journeys, may we let story transform our hearts and souls the way Jesus, the Greatest Teacher, intended it to. May we have the docility of heart and openness of soul to let story penetrate our very bones and help us transcend this world to what is more real, more true, and all the same, more mysterious.
About Abbey Nagel
Abbey Nagel lives in Bismarck, ND with her husband and 5 kids. She’s passionate about creating in her home a place of true leisure with a touch of hobbit charm. She enjoys reading, writing, and a good mug of hot tea.
About Well-Read Mom
In Well-Read Mom, women read more and read well. Our hope is to deepen the awareness of meaning hidden in each woman’s daily life, elevate the cultural conversation, and revitalize reading literature from books. If you would like to have us help you select worthy reading material, we invite you to join and read along with us. We are better together! For information on how to start or join a Well-Read Mom group visit our website wellreadmom.com
